Would Kenny Pickett have had similar success in a post-Canada offense as Mason Rudolph if he didn’t get hurt?
This is the big, hypothetical question the Steelers face this offseason. They made two key decisions in the second half of last season. First, they fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. They determined that he couldn’t get the job done, and they wanted to make an urgent change.
Then they benched Mitch Trubisky in favor of Mason Rudolph after Kenny Pickett went down. By then, the offense had almost a month to adjust, with Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan leading the way. Though the Steelers faced a three-game losing streak, Rudolph stepped into a schematically superior offense.
Rudolph has strengths and experiences that Pickett doesn’t have and lacks certain weaknesses. Their results would never have been exactly identical. But the question today is this: could Pickett and the Steelers have found similar success as they did under Rudolph?
They already had their 400-yard game in Pickett’s one full start without Canada. While they only scored 16 points, he should have had another touchdown. They won, and the whole thing proved successful. But he didn’t make it to halftime the following week. He injured his ankle at the goal line trying to go up 10-3. The team tanked without him the rest of the way until Rudolph stepped in weeks later.
The running game improved after Canada’s firing, and Rudolph benefited from that. Pickett presumably would have benefited from a better running game as well. The key variable is how he personally may have progressed during that time.
Under Canada, he did not play with confidence or poise. He seemed restricted, terrified of making mistakes at the expense of making plays. Would he have been freer, more comfortable in his skin, with a few more games under his belt?
The offense started to build confidence, and the players bought in with Faulkner and Sullivan. The whole thing screeched to a halt after Pickett’s injury, however, and didn’t resume until Rudolph saved the day. But would they have needed saving if Pickett just got to keep playing and developing? Owner Art Rooney II wishes they had the chance to find out.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of the few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
